


Miscommunications

by birdystrider



Series: Fox in the Water [3]
Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Advice, Arguing, Drabble, Friendship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, POV Outsider, Relationship Study, in this case tekēhu and the watchers friendship with aloth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 21:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17352893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdystrider/pseuds/birdystrider
Summary: Aloth and the Watcher have never gotten along.  The Watcher's budding romance with Tekēhu doesn't help.





	Miscommunications

**Author's Note:**

> this is actually one of the first drabbles i did with orono and i'm still very pleased with it i hope you enjoy it!

“How many times have I told you to keep your-your _leather_ to yourself!”

“Have patience, friend Aloth,” Tekēhu sighs.  “I am reorganizing to include a new set.”

“A new set?” Aloth repeats incredulously.  “Haven’t you enough?”

“I could ask the same of your tomes,” Tekēhu replies sharply.

“At least my ‘tomes’ benefit our group,” Aloth shoots back.

“I can assure you my leathers _benefit_ the Watcher,” Tekēhu says.

“Must you be so immature-“ Aloth begins before he’s interrupted.

“Is there a problem?” Orono asks.  Neither noticed him enter amidst their argument.  His arms are crossed over his chest and he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else, biting the inside of his lip.  Noticing the slight discomfort takes the wind out of Tekēhu’s sails a bit.

“Tekēhu won’t move his leathers from my bunk despite the multiple times I have asked him,” Aloth says.

“I will move them when I am ready for them,” Tekēhu snaps.  “I need the space.”

Before Aloth can reply to that Orono cuts in.

“Tekēhu, you can use my quarters for the space,” Orono offers.

Tekēhu’s brain short circuits for a moment.  He’s torn between his irritation with Aloth and the rush of the thought of Orono inviting him to his quarters, even if not for anything physically intimate.

“Truly, Captain?” Tekēhu double checks.

“Of course, Tekēhu, it’s no problem,” Orono reassures and Tekēhu gets the littlest of smiles.

Tekēhu regards Aloth once more with irritation before gathering his leathers and his trunk.  Wordlessly, he takes his things out of the crew quarters, pausing as he hears Aloth’s frustrated voice behind him.

“Of course you’re going to encourage him, what was I expecting?” Aloth sighs.

“Aloth…” Orono says but he trails off uncertainly.

“If you’ll excuse me, Watcher, I have spells to transfer,” Aloth dismisses curtly and Tekēhu can hear the shuffling of pages.

 

Tekēhu crosses the ship to Orono’s quarters.  He’s never been in the Captain’s quarters before.  Unsurprisingly everything of color is blue, the blankets on the bed, the rug on the floor, even the runner across the table.  There is a bookshelf up against one wall beside a desk.  On the other side of the room, in a cubby across from the small round table is a workshop of some sort.  Upon closer look it appears to be Orono’s lab table.  There are numerous traps and elements scattered across the tabletop.

Tekēhu sets down his trunk beside the bed and has just begun laying out his leathers in matching sets on the bed when Orono enters.  He passes Tekēhu without a word and continues on to his workshop.  He pulls a box out from underneath the bench and starts rummaging around.  After a minute or two of them coexisting in silence Tekēhu finally speaks.

“I don’t mean to cause a rift between you and Aloth,” Tekēhu says apologetically.

Orono lets out a long sigh and Tekēhu watches as he pulls out some gems from the box.

“It’s not your fault,” Orono replies.  “Aloth and I have never agreed.  When we were hunting Thaos it was never a problem, any disagreement merely led to debate and discussion.  I guess a lot can change in five years.”

“You were friends once though?” Tekēhu wonders.

“I considered us such but I have never been good at communicating with others,” Orono says.  He twists long white strands of his hair between his fingers as he speaks, a nervous tick if Tekēhu had to guess.  “I was probably mistaken.”

“Everyone gets mistaken from time to time,” Tekēhu tells him gently.

“If only I could recognize the mistake,” Orono comments, more to himself.  He lets go of his hair and leans up against his table, tapping at the wood silently as he stares down unseeing at the components.

Tekēhu doesn’t have the experience of reassuring people and most of the reassurance he’s received has been empty air.  Before he met Orono everyone had dismissed his worries because he was Ngati’s chosen and that was when he was feeling comfortable enough to share his concerns with someone.

“Perhaps you could ask him,” Tekēhu suggests.

“Perhaps,” Orono shrugs.  He finally looks back to his components, actually seeing them again.

They exist in silence for a few minutes while Orono works on traps and Tekēhu sorts his leathers.  Tekēhu is packing them back in his trunk in the correct order by the time he feels the need to speak again.

“Orono,” he says, catching the Watcher’s attention.  He offers him a smile over his shoulder.  “Thank you for letting me use your space.”

“It’s no problem,” Orono dismisses.  “I have more than enough space and you are always welcome to use it should you need to get away.  Or should you want some _company_.”

Tekēhu packs away the last set of leathers, his new one, and looks up at Orono.  Instead of the heated look he was expecting Orono is just smiling at him fondly, one of the most open expressions Tekēhu has seen him wear.  The expression makes Tekēhu’s heart leap into his throat.

“I’ll remember that,” Tekēhu replies and returns the smile.


End file.
